The Cassandra Page

"And indeed, the burden of Cassandra's "gift" is evident in mythology. She predicted the outcome of many disastrous events. In one memorable example, Cassandra announced the dire consequences of the Trojans accepting the infamous Wooden Horse from their Greek opponents. But as Apollo made certain, no one believed Cassandra when she warned her companions about the future. And this, in the end, was to be Cassandra's tragic fate."

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Keith Olbermann challenges Sean Hannity; Melissa Doi; waterboarding;

I have my own offer to make to Keith Olbermann. The idea of paying $1,000 per second is silly. This issue is not about money. This issue is not about charity. Olbermann was trivializing the issue by suggesting a dollar equivalent and Hannity is revealing his own talking-points-straightjacket mentality by invoking charity as a legitimate tradeoff for waterboarding.

The victims of 9-11 endured horrible consequences from the Islamist attacks. The victims did not suffer the mere loss of charitable contributions. The true trade-off is not waterboarding versus charitable contributions. Any true trade-off must involve waterboarding versus another terrorist attack.

So in the spirit of addressing the real issue, I have a proposal for Keith Olbermann. Instead of (or in addition to) waterboarding Sean Hannity for charity, Keith Olbermann can waterboard me. I will give up my previous anonymity and, with Olbermann's consent, go to a location of Olbermann's choosing so that Olbermann can waterboard me. But first, Olbermann must do something that I want. And what I want is the equivalent of what we prevented by waterboarding.

Olbermann has several options:

1) Since the 9-11 victims endured incineration in their own offices from the burning planes in Towers One and Two, Olbermann must endure the same. Olbermann must be enclosed in a small space the size of an office. The office must be doused with jet fuel and filled with plastic, carpet and other items that emit thick black smoke when they burn. The fuel must be ignited so that it becomes a roaring inferno. For every second that Olbermann endures the inferno without begging for mercy, he can waterboard me. Here is a sample of a 9-11 tape showing what some of the victims endured. The voice is Melissa Doi, who died near the top of the World Trade Center.

Melissa Doi died on that day, Keith, but you will be able to walk away.

Since Olbermann probably will be afraid to endure that challenge, I have some other options for him.

2) One of the terrorist attacks that we prevented would have blown up several airliners over the Atlantic Ocean simultaneously. Had any passengers survived the explosions, they would have landed in the ocean without a parachute or other safety equipment. Olbermann can jump out of an airplane high over the middle of the Atlantic Ocean without a parachute or other equipment. If he somehow makes it back to New York, he can waterboard me for as long as he likes.

3) The main attack we are trying to prevent is a dirty bomb or a suitcase bomb in the middle of Manhattan or other American city. I don't know all of the consequences from such an attack, but we can compare it to Hiroshima. Temperatures from the Hiroshima blast reached 7,200 degrees Fahrenheit. The future victims of the Islamists' next terrorist attack may have to endure such temperatures. If Obama's Department of Energy will recreate those conditions for Olbermann, we may have a deal. For every second that Olbermann can endure 7,200 degree temperature, he can waterboard me for one second. This option becomes more appropriate as the area of Taliban domination in Pakistan creeps closer to the capital in Islamabad and control of the Pakistani nuclear arsenal.

But he probably does not want to choose options ## 2 or 3 because those options would be fatal. Olbermann probably does not want to choose option #1 because too many of his viewers believe that 9-11 was a hoax perpetrated by Dick Cheney. He does not want to be seen by his viewers taking any action that recognizes the existence of an event in which they refuse to believe.

For that reason, I offer one final option:

4) Olbermann can allow a doctor to peel away a large patch of skin from his body and pour a strong salt solution over the wound. Also, Olbermann will drink the solution. For every pint of the salt solution that he drinks, he can then waterboard me for one second. He probably cannot accept this option either, because it would make public one of the procedures for abortion. Not only has abortion become a religion for his viewers, but the very denial of the cruelty of this procedure is just as much of a religion for those same viewers.

Because Olbermann cannot accept any of these options (as much for ideological reasons as for any concern for his own safety), Olbermann will pretend that this challenge was never made. He will continue to express bravado on the air as he attacks talking-point Republicans like Hannity, pretends that 9-11 never happened, ignores the Taliban's growing control over Pakistan and decries "torture" while defending "a woman's right to choose."

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Click here for a photo tribute to Pontiac on the occasion of GM's impending cancellation of the Pontiac line. I wrote yesterday that a long line of automobile history is meeting its official end. But we are seeing the end of more than simply a line of automobiles.

Here are some examples of Pontiac on film through the years. The first four films are Pontiac commercials from the 1960's. The commercials are as different from each other as the classic styles were from those of modern cars:

1964 Grand Prix

1966 GTO

1967 GTO

1968 GTO

The next one is a brief promo for one of the earliest Firebirds:

The 1980 Bonneville commercial shows obvious influence from the economics of that age, as the commercial focuses on gas mileage instead of image and styling. Prices in general and the price of gasoline in particular skyrocketed that year (and the year before). The same conditions that resulted in the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 were reflected in the Pontiac ads.

Here is a two-part 1960 educational documentary that features the 1959 Pontiac as the main star. The film was meant to deter young men from juvenile delinquency. The car was the focal point of the story - "Temptation is waiting in the form of a sleek bronze convertible. . . . "

The 1959 Pontiac saw tailfins reach their height, much like the other American car lines.

These videos barely scratch the surface of the films in which Pontiacs have played an important role. The point is that our civilization and our culture are composed of many interwoven elements. Even something as seemingly mundane as a line of cars can have an impact on our education and our entertainment. As our civilization is destroyed by the barbarians from within and without - as each strand that comprises our culture disappears, the impact will be felt far beyond the loss of any one particular item. Only when we see how far something like Pontiac had become ingrained in our society can we truly appreciate what we are now losing.

While the Pontiac brand lost its uniqueness years ago, it is sad nonetheless to see the end made official. The news will surprise no one and may very well be repeated for other brands of GM and other manufacturers.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Quote of the day - The Mogambo Guru - Inflation

. . . . inflation in prices is going to get a lot worse, as the loathsome and thoroughly despicable Federal Reserve is financing the absurd stimulus programs of Barack Obama so much that (audience shouts out, "How much, Marvelous Mogambo Master (MMM)?") on Wednesday, April 15, the national debt was $11,218.8 billion, while on April 8, One Freaking Week (OFW) earlier, the debt was $11,145.4 billion, which is not only $73.4 billion more, but is also a Hell Of A Lot Of Money (HOALOM) in OFW!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Of course none of the above terms apply to Miss California Carrie Prejean. She has no scandal, there are no nude pics, there is no crime and no DUI.

But if you are reading this post, chances are that you were searching Google for some weapon to use against Miss Prejean because she is against gay marriage. You were suckered the same way that leftists were repeatedly suckered here last fall when they were vainly searching Google for some dirt on Sarah Palin.

Leftists argue for their favorite causes not with logic, but by smearing their opponents. ------------------update - May 5, 2009Some sources are now claiming that nude pics are about to appear. Leftists argue that this somehow proves that gay marriage is a good idea. Years from now, when archeologists are trying to figure out why we abandoned the institutions of western civilization (including marriage), they will never know and would not believe that we allowed our civilization to be destroyed because a beauty pageant queen was photographed nude.

I (and other logical people) say that it makes no difference. Personal attacks do not trump arguments for or against western civilization. If nude photos appear, take a break from fighting gay marriage to enjoy the photos.--------------------------------------------------------------------

Eugene Lyons summarized these rapidly changing public positions during the 1930's:

In the same speech, on the same page, people defended executions and concentration camps in Russia and went purple denouncing the same phenomena in Germany. They condemned the burning of books in Hitlerland and hurrahed for the burning of authors in Stalinland. Hundreds among them denied vehemently that they were communists, though they were members under false names. Lying and cheating for the cause seemed to them noble and self-sacrificing. And in all this there was no contradiction and no trickery, since it was all on a plane way beyond logic.

Red Decade, p. 184

In the 1930's, the leftists had the excuse that they were taking orders from Stalin. Today, what possible excuse can the leftists claim? What lunatic could possibly order, benefit from or even conceive of the contradictions listed above?

When we are faced with leftist contradictions, it is right that we point them out at every opportunity. But we must do more. We must remember and discuss the history, context and goals of the leftist movement. The leftists are not simply forgetful. They know that they are lying and switching positions solely for political reasons. We must do more than simply point out the "hypocrisy." We must question their motives.